


Joining the Veterans

by TheSecondBatgirl



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Mystic Force, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: F/M, Gen, post-Once a Ranger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2013-02-22
Packaged: 2017-12-03 06:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSecondBatgirl/pseuds/TheSecondBatgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If he had the chance, he’d be a Ranger again in a heartbeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joining the Veterans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PockySquirrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/gifts).



It was nice, at first. Not being responsible for saving the world. Getting time to spend with his dad and go on adventures, and get the chance to get used to being a real boy, as most of his teammates had jokingly called it, was great at first. He got to experience all sorts of things that he hadn’t had the chance to do before.

But the feeling didn’t last. Being a Ranger had meant something to him. He may not have been selected for his skills, recruited like the rest of his team had been, but he’d more than proved himself as a Ranger. And he missed it. He missed the feeling of being part of something bigger, something better. The feeling of knowing that you were making a difference in the world.

It wasn’t that he was unhappy, exactly. It was just hard to move on. Everyone else on his team had a life to go back to. They all seemed content to retire. But if he’d had the chance, he’d be a Ranger again in a heartbeat.

*

“A card for you,” Spencer said, offering it up on a silver platter.. “Apparently, you have been invited to a get together by that visiting team of Rangers.”

“Really?” Mack reached for it, and took a look. The invitation was printed with red ink, and addressed to him. Opening the envelope, he saw he was invited to a meeting in Angel Grove in two days, to meet with Adam, Kira, Tori, and someone named Vida, who he recalled Xander mentioning once or twice. There was no sign of Xander or Bridge on the list, and he wondered if anyone else from his team was going.

Angel Grove wasn’t that long a drive from San Angeles. His dad had given him one of the cars, a credit card, and instructions to call if he needed anything. You would think that his dad would be less of a worrier, considering that for a year Mack had risked his life (and lost his head once) as a Ranger. But apparently going to a party (even a party hosted by former Rangers) was enough to make him worry.

Adam’s place in Angel Grove wasn’t exactly what he was expecting, considering that Adam had only mentioned running a dojo when the other veterans had updated them about what they were doing. But the house he had was pretty nice, and there were two sports cars (one black, one yellow) parked in the driveway.

He was pretty sure that this was the right house. Maybe the yellow car was Kira’s?

“Mack!” a voice called, and he was Tori approaching. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come or not.”

“This is the right place, then?”

Tori laughed. “Obviously,” she said. “Great job with your final victory - we all watched the news reports. You handled it really well.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on! Kira and Adam are waiting.”

“Xander isn’t coming?” Mack asked in surprise, deciding to just go with it and do what the blue ranger wanted him to do.

“He sent his team’s pink ranger instead, he couldn’t get away from the store again on such short notice. I got Blake to cover my classes for me, and I think Kira is looking at this as a career opportunity because of Tanya.”

“Tanya?” Mack asked.

“Adam’s wife. She’s a singer.”

“Oh.” Mack hadn’t even thought that Adam had a family. He wondered if they’d been upset when Adam had left them to go be an active Ranger again. He could understand why Adam had come back. He wondered if they’d understood, if his wife would be angry with him for losing the powers and taking Adam away from her.

Ever since he’d gotten the power, he hadn’t considered life after giving it up. That had been why it had been so hard for his team to adjust when they’d still left a job undone. Why he’d still insisted on sticking around and helping the best way he could.

“She’s really nice, don’t worry,” Tori said as they went into the house.

“Mack!” Kira said as she caught sight of him, coming over to give him a hug. The veteran team appeared to be a much huggier bunch than his team had been.

“Hey,” Adam called from the couch, where he was sitting next to a woman that Mack recognized - Tanya Sloan, one of the more famous singers from recent years. He’d bought a few of her albums, even. This must be the mysterious wife.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mack said.

“You too,” Adam agreed. “Well, is everyone okay with getting down to business?”

Mack glanced over at Tanya. Did she know? Had he told her?

Tanya laughed. “I used to be Yellow Zeo and Turbo,” she explained.

Mack relaxed. The veteran team had stressed the once a ranger, always a ranger, so maybe she wouldn’t be annoyed with him.

“And since nobody bothered to introduce me, I’m Vida,” a girl with short pink hair added. “Mystic Pink.”

“So why did you call all of us here?” Tori asked. “Your message sounded serious. All ‘we have a color problem, meet immediately.’”

“Yeah, Dr. O wanted to know if you needed any of the other veterans to help,” Kira added.

“I think we can handle it without Tommy, but we’ll keep him around as a backup.”

“If he can put up with me leading the backup team,” Tanya said. “No getting yourself killed, I’m enjoying retirement.”

“We’ll do our best,” Adam promised.

“So what is it?” Mack pressed.

“The Sentinel Knight contacted me earlier,” Adam explained. “Apparently, Thrax’s grandfather, Master Vile, isn’t particularly pleased that we destroyed his only evil grandchild. I’ve fought him before...”

“And then you and the others got turned into children,” Tanya interrupted.

“He doesn’t have the orb this time!” Adam said quickly.

“Please tell me you have pictures of Dr. O as a kid,” Kira said, with a rather maniacal grin on her face.

“They’re in a box in the attic,” Tanya said promptly. “Feel free to mock my husband’s hair while you’re at it.”

“What is this, pick on the frog day?” Adam muttered, and the rest of the veterans exchanged looks, while Tanya laughed at him.

“Anyway,” he continued. “We’ll probably be attacked anyway. The Sentinel Knight said he could recharge our powers again, and we can be on alert, just in case. Are you guys interested?”

“Of course,” Mack said instantly, narrowly beating out Vida, Tori and Kira.

“Once a Ranger,” he began, and the other four finished, “Always a Ranger.”


End file.
